The present invention relates generally to concrete molds and, more particularly, to concrete molds with adjustable side forms which act to increase or decrease the depth of the mold.
Concrete molds are used for making a variety of construction components including, but not limited to, modular wall panels. For molding large slabs of concrete a stationary casting surface such as a horizontal panel bed is typically utilized with side forms of the desired height bolted or otherwise secured to the sides of the casting surface. The sides of the mold are oiled or otherwise lubricated with a non-stick material before the concrete is poured into the mold.
After the concrete has been poured, the concrete is typically screed with a strikeoff to remove excess concrete extending beyond the upper portion of the side forms. The concrete may then be scratched or scored depending upon the particular application with which the slab will be utilized. After the concrete has sufficiently hardened, the side forms are removed from the stationary casting surface to expose the slab which can then be removed from the casting surface and transported to the work site.
Although such an apparatus works well for forming concrete slabs of a single height, the time required to attach and reattach the side forms as well as the time required to attach side forms of various heights to create slabs of different thicknesses, is laborious and costly. For casting surfaces extending hundreds of feet, the changing of side forms to mold slabs of varying depth often requires many hours of down time in which the casting surface is not being used efficiently. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a casting surface with variable height side forms to reduce the amount of time and labor required in varying the depth of the mold. It is also desirable to provide side forms which can be quickly and easily removed from the sides of the hardening slab to provide easy removal of the slab from the casting surface.
The difficulties in the prior art are substantially eliminated by the present invention.